A horse is a horse, of course, of course. Unless of course that horse is Great Britain’s first animal ambulance! Chase, a seven-year-old horse owned by Mark Bennett, has become the first medical horse to join the West Midlands Ambulance Service Community as a first responder thanks to his new job ferrying medical personnel like Bennett across the remote Cannock Chase Country park, an isolated park in Staffordshire. The scheme might sound crazy, but a horse can go where an ambulance cannot, in terrain a modern vehicle can’t handle.
“I think having a horse on the team is a great idea. It might sound crazy but this horse could really save lives,” said the 30-year-old Bennett. “People get into all sorts of trouble in the park – mountain bikers, runners and walkers can all get injured and it’s not always easy for ambulances to get to them quickly. But the horse is great at navigating the terrain and from within the park me and Chase can get to any area within quarter of an hour. An ambulance would take much longer to get there – especially when they have to meet up with rangers to unlock gates for them.”
Chase carries a full array of medical equipment in his saddlebags, including splints, bandages, blankets, oxygen and breathing equipment, and even a defibrillator! Chase is getting a month-long trial run, but I don’t see how this could possibly be a bad idea. Certainly, Chase is better equipped at getting around than an ATV might be, and his feed is a lot less than gasoline!
Tags: Chase, Mark Bennett, horse turned ambulance, medical horse, unusual animals, Cannock Chase Country park, Staffordshire, Great Britain, West Midlands Ambulance Service Community First Responder, doctor on horseback